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Ask the Experts

i want to ask my parents abt sex but its so embarrassing. What do I say?

It’s great that you want to talk to your parents about sex. After all, they’ve experienced a lot in their lives and probably have some pretty good advice. Some teens are afraid their parents will flip out or assume you’re having sex. But the truth is, many parents actually say they’re relieved when their kids bring it up first. Even if your parents don’t want you to be sexually active, they DO want to support you, help you make good decisions, and be involved in your life.

But it’s also totally normal to feel a little awkward in the beginning. The good news is, the more you talk to your parents about sex, the easier it gets. The first time can be the hardest, so here are some ways to ease into it:

Use movies, TV shows, blogs, and celebrities to bring up certain topics:
“Wow, being a young parent seems really tough. Do you think teens should use birth control if they’re having sex?”

Ask them about their first boyfriend or girlfriend, or how they met each other:
“When was the first time you fell in love? How did you know?”

Have them tell you stories about what they were like in high school:
“Did you ever go to prom? Who was your date?”

Ask if their parents talked to them about sex:
“Did you ever have ‘The Talk’ with your dad? What did he say?”

Just be up front about wanting to talk about sex, and feeling a little awkward about it:
“This is kind of embarrassing, but I was wondering if I could ask you some questions about sex.”

And if you feel more comfortable talking through IM or text, that’s okay. It doesn’t matter how you start the conversation, just that you have it.

Watch our video below and get more tips on talking to your parents about sex.